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US drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana

(apnews.com)
662 points JacobHenner | 5 comments | 30 Apr 24 17:32 UTC | HN request time: 1.45s | source
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Germanion ◴[30 Apr 24 17:39 UTC] No.40213675[source]▶
Finally!

Then hopefully the f... UN can do that too.

I'm totally shocked that the UN has such a hard and shitty drug policy.

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spaduf ◴[30 Apr 24 17:43 UTC] No.40213729[source]▶
Wasn't that a project of Reagan's?
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aaronbrethorst ◴[30 Apr 24 17:47 UTC] No.40213787[source]▶
I believe the concept of drug 'scheduling' was introduced in the Controlled Substances Act under Richard Nixon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_cannabis_laws_in_t....

Reagan had his War on Drugs, which resulted in the imprisonment of an order of magnitude more nonviolent drug offenders: https://www.britannica.com/topic/war-on-drugs

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skhunted ◴[30 Apr 24 17:56 UTC] No.40213934[source]▶
There was a debate in the early 80s on whether the country should concentrate on treatment or enforcement. Reagan introduced zero tolerance policies. He usually chose the wrong approach.
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Alupis ◴[30 Apr 24 17:59 UTC] No.40214002[source]▶
> Reagan introduced zero tolerance policies. He usually chose the wrong approach

That doesn't seem to clear cut with the recent failed (and now backpedaling) experiments regarding decriminalization and legalization of most drugs.

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neuronexmachina ◴[30 Apr 24 18:06 UTC] No.40214114[source]▶
What does that have to do with treatment programs?
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1. Alupis ◴[30 Apr 24 18:09 UTC] No.40214155[source]▶
Well, enforcement is a form of treatment - just not the form some might want.

We're trying the other way and failing right now. Perhaps we should figure out why...

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2. superb_dev ◴[30 Apr 24 18:21 UTC] No.40214330[source]▶
Enforcement is not a form of treatment, regardless we've been trying enforcement since the 70s and it's been a disaster. Why would you want to double down on that?
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3. Alupis ◴[30 Apr 24 18:23 UTC] No.40214348[source]▶
> Enforcement is not a form of treatment, regardless we've been trying enforcement since the 70s and it's been a disaster.

This is often said - but what do you actually mean by disaster? Hard drug usage is objectively lower in strict enforcement areas vs. non-enforcement areas like Portland was briefly.

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4. superb_dev ◴[30 Apr 24 19:12 UTC] No.40215001{3}[source]▶
There is a lot that I could talk about, but America's prison population comes to mind first. America has the largest prison population in the world, and they're essential a slave class. They get fewer rights and are forced to work for whatever company wants their labor.
5. skhunted ◴[30 Apr 24 19:15 UTC] No.40215029{3}[source]▶
....but what do you actually mean by disaster?

Our prisons do a horrible job at rehabilitation. Our prisons themselves contain lots of drugs. Our prisons are, in my opinion, immorally run. As a nation we believe in retribution and are fine with prison rapes and other abuses that occur there.

The drug war has been a disaster in terms of cost/benefit regarding how much we've spent on it. It's been a disaster in terms of civil liberties. We Americans like to think we are free but walking around with $10,000 in cash will, if found out by police, result in it being seized. Civil asset forfeiture has caused many innocent people to be punished. It has been a disaster in terms of our national incarceration rate. Incarceration for drugs targets poor and minorities. Rich people rarely go to jail for drug use. For example, Rush Limbaugh got a fine and drug treatment.